November 22, 2007

Also known as anglerfish, these fish walk across the bottom (they can swim....sort of). When they're hungry they stand perfectly still and use a little lure to attract little fish and shrimp close enough so they can gulp them down.

This hairy frogfish has a pretty big lure:

In most places I've been diving, frogfish sightings are pretty rare, in Lembeh there were lots around.

This is one of the creatures this area is famous for.They live on sea fans and are between a quarter inch and three-quarters of an inch big. They also tend to be found between 60-100 feet deep, so there isn't much time either. Very frustrating and difficult to photograph (they shy away from lights).

This is my best shot of the trip:

To get two in one shot AND have them both looking my way AND get them in focus (remember, they're half an inch big!) was a thrill.

Given my internet issues, I thought I'd wait to wrap up the Pelagian leg until I get back and also spare you the gory details of the miserable overnight transfer to Manado from Bali. Lets just say we pulled into the resort at 6:00 am and that there are actually "international" airports in this world (Manado's) with very....ahem...."inadequate" restroom facilities.

It was all worth it.....the Lembeh Resort has to be one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. That's my room on the right:

The diving here is 95% muck diving, but the marine life is so abundant and diverse, I think I'll just post pictures by category.

November 21, 2007

After a couple of days of muck diving, its nice to get back to the beautiful walls and reefs of the Wakatobi archipelago. The incredible thing about the muck diving is that you become overwhelmed by the sheer frequency and diversity of the animal encounters. Its relatively high intensity diving. In comparison, the reef diving here is pretty relaxed, but offers fascinating critter opportunities as well:

Lots of clownfish around

This crinoid shrimp is a great example of natural camouflage abilities

November 19, 2007

In scuba parlance, muck diving is generally defined as having three components:

Sandy/silty bottom

A nearby freshwater source (which makes visibility poor)

Human influence

So goodbye pretty reefs (for a couple of days), hello junk-strewn piers, harbors and beaches. Why dive this environment?.....because despite their general ickiness, they are filled with some of the most interesting and diverse marine life in the world (as I will hopefully show here).